This invention relates in general to high volume pressurized air blowers utilized in lawn maintenance; specifically, to an air yard blower and a nozzle for such a blower.
It is well know in the art of lawn maintenance to use high volume pressurized air yard blowers to blow away grass clippings, shrubbery clippings, or yard debris. Another major use of air yard blowers is for gathering tree leaves.
In most conditions, an air yard blower can be used to gather leaves easily by moving them with high pressure air. Particularly initially fallen leaves that are supported above the ground on underlying blades of grass. These leaves are easily lifted by the air exiting an air yard blower nozzle. However, under some conditions, air yard blowers suffer deficiencies in gathering leaves. An air yard blower's deficiency is partly due to the absence of a mechanical means to free leaves that become entangled between blades of grass.
While large leaves are generally supported by underlying blades of grass, small or thin leaves settle between blades of grass. Even the stems of large leaves sometimes become entangled between blades of grass making removal with an air yard blower difficult. When the stem of a large leaf is entangled between blades of grass, the operator of an air yard blower may attempt to free the leaf by increasing the blower's air flow. Increasing the air flow sometimes causes the leaf to be pressed against the ground or to just spin about its entangled stem. In such situations the leaves are incapable of being swept away by the air yard blower.
Another example of an air yard blow's deficiency is apparent when use to gather leaves that have piled on top of each other. These leaves become heavy and have a tendency to stick together and stick to the grass. This tendency to stick increases when there is moisture present from rain or dew and is further increased when moisture freezes. Often when sticking occurs the air stream from a blower will be incapable of moving leaves.
The use of air yard blowers and nozzles found in prior art also experience deficiencies when used to remove fallen leaves from ground covering; such as, rocks, barks, vegetation or flowering plants. Since many ground coverings are vegetation that have large leaves, it is easy for fallen leaves to become caught between them. Furthermore, shrubbery leaves are generally smaller than leaves from trees and often settle on ground covering during trimming. To sweep debris from rock or bark type ground covering, the air flow rate must be carefully adjusted so as not to blow them from a defined area. These are some of the reasons the present invention, which integrates a mechanical means with a typical air yard blower nozzle to assist in the gathering of leaves, is brought forth.
A Sears CRAFTSMAN.RTM. gasoline powered blower Model No. 358.797931 discloses an air yard blower with a blower tube. The blower tube has a nozzle with an integrated straight edge. The straight edge is integral to the bottom front edge of the nozzle and is approximately three inches long and one-eight inches thick. The straight edge projects one-quarter of an inch downward. Although, the purpose of this edge is not described in the owner's operations manual this nozzle suffers many disadvantages over the present invention. The edge is too wide and blunt to effectively spread apart blades of grass. The edge does not extend far enough from the bottom of the nozzle to reach the root area of the grass. Even if the edge was made to extend further it would not be capable of pulling leaves, grass clipping or debris from the grass. The use of a flat straight edge to agitate ground covering also suffer disadvantages over the present invention in that it would shove rather than agitate the ground covering much like a hoe rather than a rake.